Pages

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Mystic Muse Nail Lacquer - Cathedral Collection Review & Giveaway!

This review is a big deal for me - why? Because this is the first new indie polish maker who has given me the opportunity to review a new line before its for sale!

The line has its own distinct personality, its
upscale, edgy and with a bit of whimsical thrown in. Not to mention its
all this AND its 5-FREE. Gotta love knowing all that junk is removed from your polishes!

What I think I love about Mystic Muse most are the subtle touches that make this brand. You can tell so much thought went into it from the packaging, to the bottle to the wax seals on each polish.

In case you missed my post about the launch of this line and interview with it's creator C.Lynn here is her insight on the inaugural collection.

Where did the inspiration from your first collection come from?

The
first Collection being released
for October is the Cathedral Collection. I was surfing the Web one
evening
looking up vintage Cathedrals. Anything vintage is a love of mine as
well, and you will also see that come into play in certain future
collections. I
came across some beautiful Cathedrals! But then my mind went to how I
would
imagine them to look at night, by candle and moonlight. Dark hallways
with a
flickering candle lit in a room, or a dark corridor with only a cool
blue
ray of moonlight illuminating the room through a window. The cathedral
would
still be beautiful, but hauntingly beautiful!

Sinister- A cool, dark indigo blue, with a slight light blue frost that can be seen when the light hits it.

This polish is a very dark dark navy. You will find yourself staring at it in different lights to see the cool sheen of icy blue or the flecks deep within.

The first coat goes on thin - but don't worry the coverage builds easily in 3 coats. Its not goopy or thick and was easy to work with. I also found that this removed easily and did not stain my nails or the skin surrounding when it was removed. Shown here with Mystic Muse top coat.

Lady Katrina - a hauntingly beautiful duochrome in shades of teal and blue.

This was the polish that I was most excited about from the initial release photos and it did not disappoint. Blue, especially teal, is my jam. I love blue. Sometimes polishes say they are teal and they come across as more green to me. Not this, oh no - Lady Katrina is a true teal with a shade of blue.I only used/needed 2 coats for perfect coverage and topped with Mystic Muse's top coat.

I had to see what these two colors would look like together. I did a little are striping tape mani with Sinister and Lady Katrina. I love these two colors together.

This came across as more of a smokey brown plum to me and I loved the hints of warm copper and plum that sparkled in the polish. I especially loved it with a coat of Vintage Copper on top. Same easy application as the others and I used 3 coats.

Vintage Copper -a beautiful, classic copper glitter bomb.

I tend to have a love/hate relationship with glitter polishes. I love them on other people and hate them on myself. To my pleasant surprise I liked this polish. The glitters in Vintage Copper are small and very wearable. Makes me think of pennies. It looks great with any of the polishes in the collection but it really makes Cathedral sing. It was also surprisingly easy to remove - bonus! (In case you are wondering - I use Zoya Remove+ as my polish remover. It's the best! See my Favorite Things blog post for more)

This glitter polish is not intended to be a full coverage glitter (though I hear a full coverage glitter IS in the works at Mystic Muse).

Some other observations - all the polishes dried quickly by layer and leveled nicely.

Lets talk Top Coat! I am always on the hunt for the holy grail of top coats. Maybe I'm silly but I like to use a brand's top coat with their polishes, especially with 5 free polishes. I really really liked Mystic Muse's top coat - it dries fast, is super glossy and I had none of the dreaded shrinkage! I will definitely be using this top coat more with other 5 Free polishes in my collection.

PREORDER for the Cathedral Collection is now open. The line runs $12.00 a bottle or $42.00 for the entire collection.

And while your picking up the Cathedral Collection be sure to grab Mystic Muse's Halloween inspired polish, Witchy. This Pantone color of the year inspired orchid polish has flecks of candy corn inspired glitter for sophisticated fun. I will have swatches available for you on the blog next weekend!

As a bonus I'm giving away a polish of your choice from Mystic Muse and a Top Coat to enjoy! Just like this blog on blog lovin, leave a comment, let me know which polish you'd love to have and enter via rafflecopter below! One winner will be drawn next Sunday! Tell your friends!